May 19, 2024 at 2:36 pm

NVIDIA Has Created A Simulated Copy Of Earth That Will Predict Increasingly Volatile Weather Patterns

by Trisha Leigh

Source: Nvidia/Twitter

Regardless of the positive spin so many tech companies try to put on their advancements these days, the public seems more than a little skeptical.

This announcement of a simulated copy of Earth, courtesy of Nvidia, actually does seem like it could have some practical applications, though.

In a press release, they say they hope the Earth clone will “help meteorologists simulate and visualize global weather patterns at an unprecedented scale.”

Dubbed “Earth-2,” the digital twin was designed to help people stem the tide of economic loss caused by extreme weather events.

Customers can access it through an API, which will allow them to “create AI-powered emulations to speed delivery of interactive, high-resolution simulations ranging from the global atmosphere and local cloud cover to typhoons and turbulence.”

They hope this will help meteorologists and the like will be able to use it to improve early warning systems and improve weather forecasts.

This could happen in a matter of seconds, not the minutes or hours we have to wait now.

At its core, though, is a generative AI model called CorrDiff.

“Climate disasters are now normal – historic droughts, catastrophic hurricanes and generational floods appear in the news with alarming frequency. Earth-2 cloud APIs strive to help us better prepare for – and inspire us to act to moderate – extreme weather.”

Governments around the world are ready and willing to give it a go.

In Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration wants to use it to forecast the locations where typhoons will make landfall, as well as the potential impact in its wake.

We do like to see a company turning AI loose on the fight against climate change, but only time will tell whether or not it will be accurate enough to make a big impact.

At least it’s giving us some hope.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about the mysterious “pyramids” discovered in Antarctica. What are they?